Ivawood impresses in July Stakes

Richard Hannon's Ivawood confirmed the huge promise of his debut win by making just about all the running in the Portland Place Properties July Stakes at Newmarket.

Sent off the 3-1 favourite after an impressive success at Sandown, the imposing juvenile looked all class and beat several two-year-olds who had run well at Royal Ascot.

One of those, the Mark Johnston-trained Jungle Cat, was third in the Coventry Stakes and he stuck to his task well but was some two and three-quarter lengths behind the winner. Charlie Hills will be delighted with the performance of his maiden winner Muhaarar, who ran on for third, just in front of Belardo.

Winning rider Richard Hughes said: "I had a funny old draw (one) so I thought I'd let him bowl along and see how good he is and he was very impressive. I was always going easy, so I was wondering how good the others were but he covers an awful lot of ground and quickened really well.

"It was the first time in his life he'd been up front. There was no messing and he got up the hill really well. He was the last one to pull up, so that's a good sign. He's got a quiet nature which will stand him in good stead."

Hannon said: "He's a very good-looking horse and that's why at the sales he made so much money and Zebedee has made a good start to his career (as a sire).

"It's great and he looks a proper horse, probably as exciting a two-year-old as we have right now. Physically he is like a three-year-old and, hopefully, there's a lot more to come. I think he's our stand-out two-year-old, and probably as good a two-year-old as anyone's seen this season.

"He looks a Guineas horse all over to me, so we'll bear that in mind. We'll be looking at the Middle Park, and maybe the Gimcrack depending on how he comes out of this."

Johnston is keen to send Jungle Cat to Glorious Goodwood after his solid effort. "The winner won well, but it was a good run. I think we can look at the Richmond Stakes now as we know he likes Goodwood," said the Middleham trainer.

Hills said of Muhaarar: "I'm very pleased. We'll probably look at seven furlongs in future but he has plenty of speed for six. He won on heavy ground on his debut, so any ease in the ground was in his favour.

"Ideally we would have got a run into him between his first run (in May) and now. We wanted to go to Royal Ascot, but he had a bout of ringworm. We'll probably go to Goodwood for the Richmond Stakes now."